Lily’s Diary
by Lily
June 15
It was a kick going up to Sacramento for the California Apartment Association’s (CAA) Legislative Conference. It’s delightfully weird to be surrounded by people—many of them dressed in reassuring pastels (still popular in the Central Valley)—who share the same love-hate relationship with owning and managing rental property. I drove up with my friend Penny, and we agreed that being there forced us to look beyond the city’s venomous Rent Ordinance to the smorgasbord of issues faced by our fellow Californians. We were first given an overall picture of the state under Arnold. Our own SFAA President Eric Andresen (along with CAA’s Chief Lobbyist, Debra Carlton) then presented the hot-button bills that were making their transition that very week from one legislative house to the other. Following Eric, the crusty syndicated columnist Dan Walters took the lectern and told us that, because only 25 percent of Californians can now afford to own their own home, we are quickly becoming a state of renters. With more renters, more rent control will come. When an audience member asked why the state needs the often-cited 200,000 new living units every year, the answer was, “To house immigrants and the babies they have.” Otherwise, Walter added, the population of California is relatively stable. Later, Walters told us that this California Legislature is the most liberal in history and the governor, whom he referred to as “the real deal,” must constantly fight to advance his moderate agenda.
July 9
Ah, summer in the city. I planted nemesia in the window boxes and nailed a “Don’t Even Think of Parking Here” sign on the garage door. It’s a time of tenant moves, morning fog and the annual nattering over next year’s budget. (Why is it so hard to reduce spending in this town?) This summer also brings invitations for getting together with supervisorial candidates hosted by those dewy-eyed believers in the possibility of change, people just like me. If you live in an odd-numbered district, your supervisor is running for reelection in November—unless you live in District 5 where the withdrawal of Supervisor Matt Gonzalez has produced over thirty new candidates splashing around in the political waters like toddlers in a kiddy pool. The other night, the leader of a meeting in the Haight opened with, “The center section is reserved for those not running for supervisor.” SFAA will no doubt recommend a candidate in each district, but my friend Robert and I like to attend the various candidates’ nights and submit questions about the fairness of rent control. They rarely take the bait, but sometimes you get lucky.
July 21
My Noe Valley pal, Howard, has a tenant in his building who’s gone to the Rent Board—not because of him, but with a complaint against the unit’s original tenant (Betsy). It’s a simple matter of a master tenant charging excess rent. And apparently this case is not unusual. Howard found out most complaints received last year involved overcharging by master tenants. They are only supposed to charge their sublet tenant an amount proportionate to the space they use, but some, like Betsy-Wetsy, see an opportunity to actually generate income from the rent subsidy we’re forced to provide—a clear case of stealing the stove and going back for the smoke.
July 28
I loaded the back of the car with leftover paint cans and took them to the hazardous-materials depot out in Brisbane. I needed the excitement. Some of the guys wear lab coats and masks. I feel deliciously dangerous when they remove the cans from my car and have me sign for them. An operation as efficient as that must be costly, just like our admirable recycling service. But it does little to soften the blow of Sunset Scavengers’ move to now bill the owners of small buildings (five units or under) as residential customers. They’re going to charge extra both for distance, as in feet away from the curb, and elevation, as in number of stairs climbed. My monthly bill will be 40 percent higher. This, along with the increase in sewer rates, gives me a strong incentive to finally learn how to file an operating and maintenance petition at the Rent Board next year.
July 30
I didn’t go to the Green Party’s housing seminar at the New School this month. I just couldn’t face it. The last time Maggie and I went, I was upset for days. The flier for that particular one had been billed as Landlords vs. Tenants, so we decided to go for the thrills. The moderator began by saying that rent control, since its inception, had saved tenants over $600 million dollars. (No mention of the people whose pockets the money came from.) Ted Gullicksen represented the Tenants Union, and SFAA’s Executive Director, Janan New, courageously (and adroitly) defended our side. Both speakers began by chronicling the historic escalation of rent control. Then Gullicksen couldn’t contain himself and started calling all rents gouging and denying that owners subsidized their rent-controlled tenants, saying that it was only regulation. (A rose by any other name… thought I.) When it was suggested that market forces could regulate the cost of housing, particularly now with a 9.8 percent vacancy, he insisted that supply and demand was not applicable because, “housing is something you have to have.” (Oh, yeah. And food and medicine aren’t? Hey, why not just regulate everything?) I got mad, left early and vowed never to go to one of these evenings again.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. Lily’s Diary is written by a longtime rental property owner who reserves the right to remain anonymous on the grounds that her tenants might gang up on her. Comments, corrections or ideas are welcome at lilysdiary@aol.com. Copyright © 2004 by the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. All Rights Reserved.